Artisan Archive

Thread: Don't blame undercutters, blame the schematic

Junkor
Thu Dec 18, 2003 3:03 am
#1

The main problem with vehicles as I see it is not that people are underselling each other driving the cost down, its the complete lack of vehicle complexity.


The current schematic calls for only ferrous and non-ferrous metals.


With current off the shelf components they could increase the complexity of the build (and the fun).


For example, if each vehicle also required a generator turbine (Novice architect build) and a couple control units (Master Artisan build) it would have raised the complexity to where people would not want to flood the market with hundreds of vehicles.


-Junkor

Kristania
Thu Dec 18, 2003 4:29 am
#2

That arguement about only needing two resources has already been brought up many times. While I think the prices of 100k etc were way out of order that is the sellers choice as is the lowest prices being sold. Myself , I charged 40k swoop , 37k speeder and 35k for the landspeeder. Its not so much how many resources but the fact I needed (example) 6400 of same steel. While some may have the large harvesters mine are med and personal....costly to run and takes a lot of time shifting for resource shifts and doing harvester runs to check on them. My confusion was in the ppl selling them for 1cr/unit price or 2cr/unit price. I would find it much easier to drop that on the bazaar and sell quick rather than hawking a vehicle to ppl for hours and then answering tons questions from customers who dont read the forums. These are meant to be basic vehicles to be expanded later in future patches...not meant to be top of the line so to add components wouldnt be realistic. If want the cost lessened a bit..they could divide up the boxes for resources needed so we didnt need such large amounts of only one kind . Adding components would drive the cost higher as not everyone has a factory and components are a pain and time consuming.



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Dex1138
Fri Dec 19, 2003 1:16 am
#3

I would bet the people selling low will have return customers when they wrap their new speeder around a bantha. I know I wouldn't be going back to the person that sold me a 100k swoop to get a new one...



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Ninja007
Fri Dec 19, 2003 5:44 pm
#4

Just like with architechts. Idiots thought they had some inherent right to screw people or make more money than anyone else. People making vehicles have NO more right to be rich than a dancer or a tailor. Get used to it, bawl babies.



NEVER pay more than 25K for a vehicle or you're either unconcerned with money or just STUPID.

Druc_Beinad
Fri Dec 19, 2003 6:23 pm
#5






Ninja007 wrote:

Just like with architechts. Idiots thought they had some inherent right to screw people or make more money than anyone else. People making vehicles have NO more right to be rich than a dancer or a tailor. Get used to it, bawl babies.



NEVER pay more than 25K for a vehicle or you're either unconcerned with money or just STUPID.






No you are STUPID and so are the people who sell them for less than 5 credits per unit. I can sell crap resources to all the Jedi grinders for 5 cpu as fast as I can harvest it. Why should I bother making a vehicle and sellilng it for 3 cpu.



- Druc

...has mastered Medic, Doctor, Combat Medic, Musician,
Dancer, Entertainer, Creature Handler, Pikeman, Scout, Artisian, Brawler, Marksman
Betatoxin
Fri Dec 19, 2003 6:51 pm
#6

What is most amusing is all the 1200-1800 bikes I see, obviously made with inferior resources. If the deed would properly list the hit points the customer might be more discerning.

However like architect vehicles are another item where players are willing to sell them for less than they could get for the resources on the open market for the simply reason it is easy to make them and the market gets flodded driving prices below rational levels.

This is unlike other crafters like weaponsmiths where the effort to make items at the highest quality is so extreme that prices far in excess of the base resource cost to mine can be asked.

It is all about barrier to entry, the higher the barrier the more stable the prices will be. The barrier to entry on vehicles is very low, especially when there are probably a lot of people who just got master artisan to make vehicles.

My only suggestion as an architect? just sell the resources and do something else with your time. Give it a month, things might relax, especially if customization goes in and the deed hp stats are fixed.
Nyght
Fri Dec 19, 2003 8:15 pm
#7

Well, I am happy to say, that about 50% of my customers want the higher quality product, seemingly regardless of the degree of difference. I offer them a range of low 80 percent for 3 cpu or 90 percent or better for 5 cpu. I didn't want to lose those low end customers, but I am rethinking this position.


On my server, grinding stuff is still selling for 3 cpu and the time to make a schematic, a factory run, and then on the vendor is minimal. I consider it a wash with selling a the starport or the forum trade boards. Therefore, 3 cpu for the junk.


But an awful lot of buyers will buy the better product when placed side by side. I guess we can chaulk that up to this being a game and, if you can't afford the best in real life, might as well do it in a game.


I had hoped that since experiance grinding was, for the most part, out of the picture, that we wouldnt suffer the same Bazaar fate as the architechs. Oh, well.


On another note, I had a batch of 83% bikes turn up with 1930 ham. Didnt know until a customer complained. Either I was brain dead when making the schematic, there is a random throw involved, or the formula is wrong some where. I guess I will assume brain dead until I see different, but I am scrapping one vehicle now to make sure before I make HAM claims.


Good sales to you all





-------------------------------------------------
Smuggler revamp or bust!

(There's an old sig for ya!)
j3huty
Sun Dec 21, 2003 12:56 am
#8






AkaiTsuki wrote:

20k Landspeeder


25k Speederbike


25k Swoopbike


And I really does not make a living out of it




I'm making a living at half those prices...



And the Lord said unto John; come forth and receive eternal life. But John came fifth and won a toaster.
AkaiTsuki
Sun Dec 21, 2003 1:34 am
#9

The cost is really a problem....I HAD to cut down the my prices from:


30K Landspeeder


35k Speederbike


40k Swoopbike


JUST because people laught at me (and i really mean laught at me) for the prices, so now im down to


20k Landspeeder


25k Speederbike


25k Swoopbike


And I really does not make a living out of it


Thou the worse part maybe that after two weeks there are no need for Master Artisans >_<



One time it was almost to sad...I tryed to sell a swoop i think to a guy and when he was going to sell it to me another Master Artisan burst in and said that HE had lower prices....that makes me so angry >(




What isnt remembered never happend, memory is merely an record. you just need to rewrite that record - Lain
Ykkihny
Sun Dec 21, 2003 4:11 pm
#10

I was shooting butterfly. Someone walked up to me and started chatting. They offered to sell me a vehicle but I only had hides. I just started and am still trying to figure out how to make money. They ended up giving me one for free, but then they wanted me to join the empire. I took the speeder and ran. I am a wookie for cripes sake, everyone ought to know that the empire are human supremacists biggots before asking a wookie if he'd like to go to the recruiter with them. pfft
StarNick
Sun Dec 21, 2003 8:10 pm
#11

lol took the bike and ran


anyways, i like the idea of the speeder requiring a generator turbine..could be a bit biased here since i play a master artisan / almost master architect on valcyn


and a note to the poster who said architect's rip people off...I for one sell quality products for fair prices and Im just barely above the point of making profit...if others who charged the outragous prices were in my shoes, by now would have over a million creds...so not all of us are out to get the consumer




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PhotekxOBVx
Sun Dec 21, 2003 8:58 pm
#12

Someday when I'm not a noob, I may be able to make a vehicle! woot!



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progman63
Sun Dec 21, 2003 11:04 pm
#13

Here's the thing.


People who sell below the market cost for bare resources will either have 2 things happen:


1) They run themselves out of business - good riddance and thanks for ruining the economy


2) They sell alot of items, but they burn themselves out wasting all their time and getting nothing for it



For every one crying that 'we' are ripping people off.


You don't have a clue. You have a VERY simplistic view of how sales, business and economy work.


Keep your day jobs and don't try any career changes.



I am NOT advocating purposely gouging prices.


But here are some PROVEN business 'facts'.


Items in HIGH demand - uber weapons and armor - sell for a premium.
NEW items to a market - mounts and vehicles - sell for a premium until prices drop.
People need to make aPROFIT - you can't sell items below cost for very long.
Our TIME is worth something - set a cpu rate for your time and track it.
If you can sell the RESOURCES for more than the finished item, you're WASTING your time.


The average 'markup' for items in this game seem to be 5-10x cpu.


Lower for simpler items, higher for more complex items.


That's NOT ripping people off, that's earning a living.


If you're selling your items for less than this, HAVE FUN.


But realize you're screwing all the SERIOUS business people in the game who rely on selling items at a REASONABLE price to keep things going.


Great if people who are ripping everyone off eat their products.


The rest of 'us' just want to have fun trying to run our own imaginary business in this imaginary world.









"When Sony and Lucas set out, we said, How can we do this and not make another EQ? We didn't want it to be all about Luke, or combat, or lock our players into a class. So we created a system that would allow players to switch professions during the game, and there would be a lot of gameplay around making that change. If you want to go from architect to scout we've created a system to make that happen."
Julio Torres


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